Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Burma: Sexual Offences

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps the UK is taking in Burma to ensure that the three objectives of the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative are met.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are persistent in applying pressure to the Burmese government to live up to the commitments it made when it endorsed the Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict at the London Global Summit in June 2014. During his visit to Burma in July 2015, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), pressed the Burmese government at senior ministerial level on the issue. He also launched the International Protocol on the Documentation and Investigation of Sexual Violence. We continue to raise the issue in international fora, including through UN resolutions on Burma at the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council, which we co-sponsor. We also facilitated the 2015 visit of the co-founder of the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative, Angelina Jolie-Pitt. Along with Mr Swire, I was pleased to update selected Parliamentarians on our continuing efforts on this serious issue at the Burma briefing on Wednesday 4 May.

UK Membership of EU: Referendums

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there is any precedent for an invitation to the leader of a foreign country to visit the UK in order to campaign on an internal national issue such as the forthcoming EU referendum.

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to invite any leaders of foreign countries to come to the UK ostensibly on a courtesy visit but with the intention that they should canvass directly on any internal national issue.

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions the Cabinet had prior to the visit of the President of the United States to the UK about any remarks that he might make regarding the EU referendum, and who was responsible for advising him regarding normal courtesy and protocol for such state visits.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The views expressed by the US President during his recent visit to the UK were his own. I refer the noble Lord to the Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron)'s oral response to the Rt Hon. Member for Exeter (Mr Bradshaw), on Wednesday 27 April, Official Report, Column 1427, which is copied below for ease of reference:'Obviously I think we should listen to our friends and our allies, and as I look around the world it's hard to find the leader of a country that wishes us well that wants us to do anything other than stay inside a reformed European Union.'

Abdullah Öcalan

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will discuss with the government of Turkey the early release of Abdullah Öcalan, in the light of his long solitary imprisonment, so as to assist the resumption of peace negotiations.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have no plans to discuss this particular case with the Government of Turkey. Abdullah Öcalan is the leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, a terrorist organisation proscribed in the UK that has killed over 350 people in violent attacks since July 2015. We have supported the peace process initiated by the Turkish government and hope the process can be restarted soon.

Turkey: Refugees

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are analysing the criticisms by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights and the European Christian Political Movement of the EU–Turkey agreement on refugees, in particular regarding the risks of asylum applicants being deported to Iran and Afghanistan, of illegal detention, and of sex trafficking; and whether they will publish their conclusions.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are aware of these reports, but do not plan to publish any conclusions. We are closely monitoring the implementation of the EU-Turkey agreement on refugees, including its compliance with human rights standards.

Royal Commonwealth Society: Finance

Lord Triesman: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the support provided by the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) to events celebrating the Commonwealth, and its wider role in addressing challenging social issues, including early and forced child marriage, how much financial support has been provided to the RCS in each of the last five financial years, and how much will be provided in this and the next financial year.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has contributed a total of £191,452 from 2011- 2015 to activities run by the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) and the Council of Commonwealth Societies (CCS) for whom the RCS organises events. A breakdown of this sum is listed below:2011£60,720.002012£48,619.602013£21,706.402014£22,000.002015£38,407.00This year the FCO has again provided £20,000 towards the cost of the CCS Commonwealth Service event in Westminster Abbey.Future funding requests for all Commonwealth organisations will be assessed on a case by case basis.

USA: Visas

Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of the US regarding the implementation of HR158 under the Visa Waiver Programme Improvement and Terrorist Prevention Act 2015, which prevents British nationals from travelling to the US if they may have visited Iran, Sudan, Iraq or Syria in the last five years; and what assessment they have made of whether that implementation is discriminatory.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: While US immigration processes are a matter for the US authorities, we have raised with the US administration the importance of clearly communicating changes to their immigration policy. The US Customs and Border Protection service has stated publicly that “the religion, faith, or spiritual beliefs of an international traveller are not determining factors about his/her admissibility into the US”. We remain in close contact with the US Embassy in order to avoid inconvenience to British nationals travelling to the US.

USA: Visas

Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they keep statistics of how many British citizens have been excluded from travelling to the US under HR158 of the Visa Waiver Programme Improvement and Terrorist Prevention Act 2015; and if so, how many have been so excluded; and whether they are aware of any British Parliamentarians being refused entry under that rule.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: US immigration processes – including the collection of statistics - are a matter for the US authorities. A number of Members of Parliament have raised this issue on behalf of their constituents and we are aware of at least one Parliamentarian affected by the new legislation. We have raised the importance of clearly communicating changes to immigration policy with the US administration, and remain in close contact with the US Embassy in order to avoid inconvenience to British nationals travelling to the US.

EU Countries: British Nationals Abroad

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with other EU member states about whether, in the event of the UK leaving the EU, British citizens settled in EU member states would have an automatic right to remain in the countries where they have settled.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: No such discussions have been held. As I said in my previous response of 25 April (HL7678), the Government's view is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off in a reformed EU. Should the UK choose to stay in the EU, British citizens will be able to work, live and retire abroad as they do now. UK citizens get a range of rights from our membership of the EU. If the UK were to leave the EU, all of these rights would have to be covered in a successor arrangement. If we left the EU without agreeing what would happen to these rights, it would at the least bring them into serious question, creating difficulty for UK citizens who relied on them.

Nigeria: Religious Freedom

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Nigeria on the promotion of freedom of religion and belief in Nigeria.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: This Government is firmly committed to promoting and protecting the right to freedom of religion or belief around the world, and to being a strong voice internationally in defence of this fundamental right.Religious freedom is protected by the Nigerian Constitution and we regularly discuss with the Nigerian government at the highest levels our concern about threats to this right, including the threat Boko Haram poses to communities of different faiths and ethnicities. Boko Haram seeks to undermine religious freedom by attacking all Nigerians who do not subscribe to its extremist views. It has committed atrocities against people of all faiths, including Christians and Muslims.We will continue to work with the Nigerian government, non-governmental organisations and civil society to improve the security situation and human rights for all in Nigeria.

Nigeria: Human Rights

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Nigeria regarding the investigation of human rights violations in northern Nigeria.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We welcome President Buhari’s commitment to overhauling Nigeria’s rules of engagement to avoid human rights violations and to investigating credible reports of violations and take appropriate action. We have repeatedly made clear to the Nigerian authorities at all levels that we condemn human rights violations and we stress the importance of protecting civilians in conflict. The support the UK provides to Nigeria is designed not only to counter terrorism, but also to improve human rights standards.

Zimbabwe: Human Rights

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest assessment of the human rights situation in Zimbabwe.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We consider the human rights situation in Zimbabwe to be fragile. This Government’s manifesto included a commitment to stand up for the rule of law and human rights in Zimbabwe. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s 2015 Annual Human Rights Report lists Zimbabwe as a Priority Country. We continue to call, both bilaterally and in partnership with others, for an end to abuses and the restoration of internationally accepted standards.

Sri Lanka: Human Rights

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest assessment of the human rights situation in Sri Lanka.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Since the election of President Sirisena in January 2015 the Sri Lankan government has taken a number of positive steps to improve the human rights situation in the country. We welcomed the historic co-sponsorship by Sri Lanka of a resolution at the UN Human Rights Council on 1 October 2015 committing it to reconciliation, accountability and the protection of human rights. We have been encouraged by the early progress Sri Lanka has made in delivering on these commitments. This includes starting public consultations on reconciliation mechanisms and constitutional reform, the return of some military occupied land and the release on bail of some long-term Tamil detainees held under anti-terrorism legislation.While there has been progress, we recognise that there is still much to be done and Sri Lanka remains listed as a Human Rights Priority Country in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s latest Human Rights and Democracy Report published in April. We remain committed to supporting and encouraging the Sri Lankan government to deliver fully against its commitments.

Ivory Coast: Human Rights

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest assessment of the human rights situation in the Ivory Coast.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The British Government welcomes the progress made by the Government of Côte d’Ivoire on the issue of human rights, most notably on combating sexual violence against women and providing compensation for victims of past conflicts. We are encouraged that the Ivorian authorities have prioritised improving the poor condition of their prisons. The UK also welcomes progress made by the judiciary in combating impunity. We have urged the Government of Côte d’Ivoire to ensure that all those responsible for crimes against humanity are held accountable for their actions, regardless of political, regional, religious or tribal affiliations.

Israel: Palestinians

Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 27 April (HL7738), what assessment they have made of the impact of their representations on the government of Israel with regard to house demolitions, in the light of the number of deaths and injuries caused during such incidents in the first three months of 2016.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Government remains extremely concerned at the large increase in demolitions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories since the start of 2016, compared to the monthly average in 2015. We are not aware of any deaths which have resulted from demolitions. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv continues to regularly raise our concerns on demolitions with the Israeli authorities. As a result of these representations, the UK’s humanitarian and legal concerns on demolitions have been made clear.

Saudi Arabia: Saudi Binladin Group

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are making representations to the government of Saudi Arabia for full payment of arrears of wages to employees of the Saudi Binladin Group.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The British Government has not made representations to the Government of Saudi Arabia for full payment of arrears of wages to employees of the Saudi Bin Laden Group. We are not aware of any British nationals that have been affected.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the use of the roof of the Hebron Emergency Health Centre as a military base and the closure of its entrance to Palestinian patients.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Whilst we have not raised this specific issue with the Israeli authorities, we are clear that medical staff should have the protection that allows them to do their jobs in safety. Since the start of the current violence we have spoken regularly to both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority on the urgent need to de-escalate the tensions.

Israel: West Bank

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning the destruction by Israeli forces of the Bedouin village of Khirbet Taha in the northern West Bank district of Nablus.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: While we have not raised this specific issue with the Israeli authorities, we continue to raise our concerns with the Israeli authorities over demolitions and the treatment of the Bedouin community. We have supported Bedouin communities in Area C facing demolition or eviction through our support to Rabbis for Human Rights and the Norwegian Refugee Council legal aid programme.

Israel: Gaza

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the ban on the import of cement into Gaza for the private sector since 3 April.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We remain deeply concerned by the situation in Gaza. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv and our Consulate General in Jerusalem regularly raise the need to make progress towards a durable solution for Gaza, and press for practical steps to advance reconstruction and economic development with both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority. We are concerned about recent reports of diversion of cement entering Gaza through the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism. While we understand Israeli security concerns, new restrictions on the import of cement have resulted in a delay in reconstruction activity and will have a significant impact on employment. The Department for International Development’s support to the Material Monitoring Unit helps to identify such cases of diversion and ensure that appropriate action is taken.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 18 April (HL7718), what action they will now take to protect land designated as a future Palestinian state.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We continue to robustly raise our concerns over Israel’s expropriation of land in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Such steps damage the prospects for a two state solution. The UK has consistently called for an end to settlement expansion, which is illegal under international law. If the Israeli government is committed to a two-state solution then it will reverse its policy.

Gaza: Energy Supply

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 18 April (HL7720), what representations they now intend to make to the government of Israel to ensure an adequate power supply to Gaza.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We regularly raise Gaza’s energy needs, which are essential to permit recovery and allow the economy to grow, with the Israeli authorities. A long-term strategy for gas provision needs to be established. In the interim, we are focussing on provision of diesel to run the Gazan power plant, and expanded electricity provision from medium-voltage feeder lines into Gaza from Israel.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding reports of gunfire by Israeli forces at farmers trying to access their land near the border east of Khan Younes.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: While we have not made any representations to the Israeli authorities on this specific issue, we have an ongoing dialogue with the Israeli authorities about the Israeli Defence Forces use of live fire.

EU Countries: Marriage

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of which of the 27 other EU member states have not legalised same-sex marriage.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Seven EU Member States have not legalised same sex marriage. These States are: Bulgaria, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Insolvency

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will review the legislation protecting creditors in the event of business failure.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: We do keep insolvency legislation under review. We seek to ensure that the legislative framework strikes the right balance between rescuing a business, which may also save jobs, and the rights of creditors who may lose out financially.

Manufacturing Industries

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recent data from Begbies Traynor showing that the number of British manufacturers that are struggling financially has risen by 20 per cent.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: We have not made an assessment of this report. The UK has some of the best manufacturing in the world, and we are focussed on a competitive tax regime and supporting science and innovation to make the UK an even better place to do business. There are a number of global headwinds which are currently placing significant pressures on UK manufacturing, making it more important than ever that we stick to our long term economic plan for sustainable growth.

British Home Stores: Insolvency

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Statement by the Business Minister, Anna Soubry, on 25 April (HC Deb, col 1174), what assistance they plan to offer BHS or Retail Acquisitions.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Workers and their families will be worried by the news that BHS has been placed in the hands of administrators. The Administrator must secure the best possible result for the business, starting with rescuing it if possible as a going concern. If this does not prove possible, then we stand ready to help those affected, including through Jobcentre Plus’ Rapid Response Service, to help people move into new jobs as quickly as possible.

Overseas Trade: Poland

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 21 April (HL7530), what is their assessment of the state of trade relations between the UK and Poland.

Lord Price: The UK-Poland trade relationship is strong and is set to get stronger. In 2014, the value of UK exports to Poland amounted to £3.84billion and UK imports from Poland £7.84 billion.The Government’s focus on trade and investment with Poland is on 6 strategic sectors which we believe offer most opportunity for UK exporters. These are defence and security, energy, infrastructure, financial services, healthcare & life sciences and advanced manufacturing.Our Embassy in Warsaw works in close collaboration with a recently established Overseas Business Network (OBN) partner to identify business opportunities for British firms and then to help them make the most of them. In 2015-2016, they were directly involved in winning contracts worth almost £450 million.

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership agreement will be subject to ratification by both Houses of Parliament and the US Congress.

Lord Price: We expect the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) will be a “mixed” agreement, covering areas of both EU and Member State competence, to which the US, EU and all EU Member States will be parties. In that case, it will be subject to agreement by each EU Member State, the EU Council and the European Parliament. As part of this process in the UK, before the Government can ratify the agreement, the complete draft text of the agreement will initially be laid before Parliament for scrutiny for at least 21 sitting days. During this time MPs and Lords may debate the treaty in either or both Houses and vote on the proposed ratification. In the US, both Houses of Congress would have to ratify legislation to implement the agreement, but not the agreement itself.

Small Businesses: Intellectual Property

The Earl of Clancarty: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have carried out research to ascertain the degree of awareness of small businesses about intellectual property rights.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) IP Awareness Survey was first conducted in 2006 and was rerun in 2010 and early 2015. The survey establishes a sense of understanding of IP and IP rights across all sizes of UK firms and all sectors of UK industry. The most recent survey contained 3 sections: an IP knowledge section which tested the respondent's familiarity with IP, a management section which sought to discover how firms were administering IP within their organisation and a final section which focussed on where IP information and advice was sourced from.Key findings include:94% of respondents thought that it was important for businesses to understand how to protect their IP.52% of responding firms had protected some sort of IP (either through a single right or a combination).65% of respondents thought that confidentiality agreements are important to protecting their IP. This method of protection was the most popular.The majority of surveyed firms have not been involved in a dispute around IP, (over 75%).96% of firms have not valued their IP.79% of firms did not know that telling people about an invention before applying for a patent could lead to an unsuccessful application.28% of firms check they are not infringing other people’s IP, the most popular IP management activity amongst respondents.20% of firms indicated that they license their IP, allowing others to use it for a fee.In addition to this formal piece of research the IPO routinely surveys businesses in the course of designing and delivering its business support and outreach activities. This is intended to help to monitor and assess the effectiveness of these activities to ensure they are fit for purpose and if necessary improve, develop and even cease them for alternative approaches.The IPO is using findings from its own and other business surveys to inform its approach to business outreach and the creation of IP advisory and support tools.

Small Businesses: Intellectual Property

The Earl of Clancarty: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to better inform small businesses about all aspects of intellectual property rights, including action that such businesses can take to protect such rights.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) undertakes a wide range of activities to promote understanding of Intellectual Property (IP) amongst Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in order that they can make an informed decision on whether and how to protect, commercialise and enforce their IP.IPO products and priority activities focus on:a) Raising awareness of the importance of IP;b) Improving the IP skills of business advisors and intermediaries;c) Emphasising that IP is an essential element of an overall business strategy.The offerings include online tools, face to face business and adviser training, and partnership delivery.The numerous online resources are designed to help businesses to recognise their IP assets, to manage those assets effectively and to help businesses communicate the value of their IP portfolio to lenders or investors when seeking finance.The IPO has a small team that runs UK seminars and workshops on IP for businesses and advisors and it also provides an intensive, commercially run training course to improve their understanding of IP.It also works with partners within and outside government to ensure that businesses in every part of the UK can access good quality IP advice and understand the importance of managing their IP. Key partnerships include the UK PatLib Network and UK Business & IP Centre Network as well as Business Growth HubsAll these support activities provide guidance and information on how businesses may resolve IP disputes or take effective enforcement action. In addition, the UK overseas IP attachés work with local UK Trade and Investment and Foreign and Commonwealth Office leads to provide support for UK businesses seeking advice on local IP matters abroad.I will place further information on these resources in the Libraries of the House.

Retail Acquisitions

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will investigate the compliance of professional advisers to Retail Acquisitions with know-your-customer and money-laundering regulations.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: A regulatory framework is in place to deal with non-compliance with know-your-customer and money-laundering regulations. However, this is not the focus of the current investigation by the Insolvency Service into BHS.If, during the course of the current Insolvency Service investigation into BHS, it appears that there is good reason to widen the scope of its enquires, the Insolvency Service has powers under the Companies Act 1985 to initiate confidential enquiries.

Trade Promotion

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government who are the UK Trade Envoys, and to which country or countries each is assigned.

Lord Price: The table below outlines all current Trade Envoys and the market/markets which they cover. Further information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/trade-envoys MP Trade EnvoysMarket/MarketsAdam Afriyie MPGhanaRushanara Ali MPBangladeshRichard Benyon MPDRC, Mozambique, EthiopiaJeffrey Donaldson MPEgyptMark Garnier MPBurma, Brunei, ThailandRichard Graham MPIndonesia, ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), Philippines, MalaysiaJohn Howell MPNigeriaAndrew Murrison MPMorocco, TunisiaAndrew Percy MPCanadaMark Prisk MPBrazil, Nordic and BalticsLord Astor of Hever DLKazakhstan, OmanBaroness Bonham-Carter of YarnburyMexicoLord (Richard) FaulknerTaiwanLord Hollick of Notting HillTanzania, KenyaLord JanvrinTurkeyLord King of BridgwaterSaudi ArabiaLord LamontIranBaroness Morris of BoltonJordan, Kuwait, Palestinian TerritoriesBaroness Nicholson of WinterbourneIraq, Azerbaijan, TurkmenistanBaroness NorthoverAngolaLord PopatUganda, RwandaLord Puttnam of QueensgateVietnam, Laos, CambodiaLord Risby of HaverhillAlgeria

Department for International Development

World Humanitarian Summit

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government who will represent the UK at the World Humanitarian Summit meeting to be held in Istanbul.

Baroness Verma: Preparations for the Summit are proceeding and a final decision on who will be in the UK delegation will be taken nearer the time.

Turkey: Refugees

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will propose that the three billion euros offered to Turkey from the EU be transferred to the UNHCR World Food Programme for work in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan for refugees and displaced people, in particular for continuing child and adult education.

Baroness Verma: The purpose of the EU-Turkey Refugee Facility is to provide support to refugees and host communities in Turkey. We expect that the Facility will provide immediate humanitarian support, as well as help meet longer-term development needs, such as education.The first projects funded through the Facility are starting to be implemented, for example through the World Food Programme and UNICEF.

Palestinians: Syria

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they intend to take to enable UNRWA to deliver urgent aid to Palestinian refugees trapped in Yarmouk camp in Damascus.

Baroness Verma: The UK is extremely concerned about the situation in Yarmouk camp in Syria, especially given intense fighting between Daesh and Al-Nusra Front in recent weeks. According to UNRWA, the intensified fighting has acutely aggravated shortages of food and clean water for the approximately 6000 civilians residing inside Yarmouk. We condemn in the strongest terms the grave crimes committed by Daesh and Al-Nusra Front against civilians in the camp, and continue to call on all parties to the conflict to protect civilians, ensure humanitarian access to the area, and allow the safe passage and evacuation of civilians.We welcome UNRWA’s efforts in protecting and assisting vulnerable Palestinian refugees. To date, the UK has allocated over £59 million to UNRWA to provide assistance for Palestinian refugees affected by the violence in Syria and the region.The UK has given support to the UN and international NGOs since the start of the conflict to deliver aid to besieged and hard to reach areas and continue to use our position in the UN Security Council to push for humanitarian access to be granted to these areas. We are also part pf the International Syria Support Group that agreed at its meeting on 11 February that humanitarian access would be opened to a number of priority areas, including Yarmouk, as a first step to accelerating full and sustained access across Syria. Since then, UNRWA has delivered 21 convoys with multi-sectoral assistance to 19,000 people in Yalda, Babella, Beit-Sahm, including thousands of residents in and from Yarmouk.

Department for Education

Adoption

Baroness Howells of St Davids: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Movement for an Adoption Apology campaign, whether they have any plans to make a public apology to the mothers whose children were taken away from them between the 1950s and 1980s.

Lord Nash: The Government has a great deal of sympathy for those women and children who were affected by the pressures to give children up for adoption. Their accumulated experiences clearly show them to be victims of the prevailing moral and social behaviour of their time. Governments have subsequently done much to resolve these social ills in the past.

Teachers: Labour Turnover

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking in the light of NASUWT's finding that 74 per cent of teachers are seriously considering leaving the profession in the next two years; and what assessment they have made of the implications of that finding for the education system.

Lord Nash: As the Secretary of State for Education outlined in her speech at the NASUWT conference on 26 March 2016, we want to see unions do everything they can to build morale, promote the teaching profession and tell people what a rewarding job teaching is. Approximately 90% of all teachers continue in the profession following their first year of teaching and this has been the case since 1996; and over 70% of those who qualified in 2009 were still in teaching five years later. Given the proportion of teachers leaving has remained stable over the last 20 years, we would not expect the proportion of teachers leaving the profession to increase to the levels reported by this survey.We recognise that it is vital for schools to be able to retain good teachers. That is why we have made policy interventions in the areas teachers tell us matter most such as reducing unnecessary workload. We have recently published reports, addressing the three biggest issues emerging from the Workload Challenge – ineffective marking, use of planning and resources and data management. The reports set out clear principles about what should happen in schools, and make recommendations to be taken at every level in the school system.We have accepted all the recommendations and will encourage the dissemination of the principles and messages clearly set out, to help enable the culture change the reports refer to.

Children's Centres

Lord Farmer: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much has been spent on Children’s Centres since June 2010, (1) in total, and (2) in each financial year.

Lord Nash: Between April 2010 and March 2015 the total spent on children’s centres was £5.2 bn.Local authorities must meet their statutory duties on children’s centres from funding that currently forms part of the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) Business Rates Retention Scheme.Since April 2010, local authorities have reported spending on children’s centres through an annual return to the Department of Education (Section 251 returns; available on GOV.UK).There will be variation in the way local authorities deliver their services, which may not be captured in within this data. In addition, other government funding, including that for public health, adult skills training and troubled families may also be used locally to support services delivered wholly, or in part, through children’s centres again this will not be included in this data.

Children: Protection

Lord Farmer: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether professionals who work with children, such as social workers and teachers, are legally required to leave their professions if they continue to live, or resume living, with a convicted sex offender to whom they are married, or with whom they have had children who are no longer minors, after that offender has served a custodial or community sentence.

Lord Nash: Arrangements within the Childcare Act 2006 and the Childcare (Disqualification) Regulations 2009 disqualify a person from providing, working in, or managing childcare provision on the grounds that a person in their household has committed a relevant offence. A number of the qualifying offences are of a sexual nature.A person disqualified from working in any childcare setting for these reasons is able to apply to Ofsted for a waiver against disqualification. Where a waiver is granted the disqualified person is permitted to work in childcare.The Department publishes guidance (attached) to assist schools, childcare providers and those working in childcare and help them understand the arrangements.



Disqualification under the childcare act 2006
(PDF Document, 731.09 KB)




Statutory framework for the early years foundation
(PDF Document, 236.26 KB)

Sex and Relationship Education

Lord Northbourne: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether their proposal to change the status of all secondary schools in England to academies would mean that maintained schools no longer have an obligation to deliver sex and relationship education.

Lord Northbourne: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to introduce legislation to require all schools, including academies, to provide high quality sex and relationship education as part of their syllabus.

Lord Nash: Maintained secondary schools must continue to meet their existing statutory duties. All maintained secondary schools are required to teach sex and relationship education and we expect academies to teach it as part of a broad and balanced curriculum.As announced in February, we will continue to keep the status of PSHE under review and work with a group of leading headteachers and practitioners to identify further action we can take to ensure that all pupils receive high quality, age appropriate PSHE and sex and relationship education.When any school, including academies, teaches sex and relationship education, they must have regard to the Secretary of State’s statutory Sex and Relationship Education Guidance (2000). The guidance makes clear that all such lessons should be age-appropriate and that schools should ensure young people develop positive values and a moral framework that will guide their decisions, judgments and behaviour.

Schools: Operating Costs

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the costs of running different education systems in respect of local education authority maintained schools, academies, and free schools.

Lord Nash: The current dual system, where maintained schools and academies (including free schools) have different requirements on a number of key areas including funding, financial compliance, performance oversight, parental complaints and how they are required to adhere to legislation, does not provide consistent expectations on professionals or clarity and assurance for pupils and parents.This government believes a single system with all schools as academies, which affords greater autonomy to professionals and is governed by a single legal framework along with clear and robust accountability, will provide a level playing field for all and the conditions for future success. It will give clarity on roles and responsibilities and secure efficiency. Running a dual system diverts resources, time and focus away from the classroom.

Academies: Expenditure

Lord Grocott: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord Nash on 3 May (HL Deb, col 1308), what steps they plan to take to provide Parliament with a clear view of academy trusts' spending.

Lord Nash: From 2016-17 onwards, the department will produce a new report and accounts covering the performance of the academy sector during the previous academic year. This will provide Parliament with information on academy trusts’ spending, income and assets that is clearer, more transparent and more timely. This approach has been considered and endorsed by the Education Select Committee and the Liaison Committee of the House of Commons.

Academies: Fraud

Lord Grocott: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord Nash on 3 May (HL Deb, col 1308), how many allegations of fraud in respect of academies and free schools were made to the Education Funding Agency in each financial year from 2012–13 to date.

Lord Nash: EFA does not classify allegations into fraud or other forms of irregularity until they have been investigated. The number of fraud allegations cannot therefore be isolated from other allegations of irregularity. After investigation EFA concluded that only 10 of the allegations received in respect of academies and free schools since 2012-13 were probable fraud. This shows that there are low levels of fraud within the 5,685 academies in the sector. Where fraud or other irregularity is identified EFA takes swift action which may include conducting its own investigations.

Ministry of Justice

Criminal Proceedings: Legal Representation

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the extent and impact of the number of defendants in criminal cases appearing without representation as revealed in the report by Transform Justice Justice Denied? The experience of unrepresented defendants in the criminal courts.

Lord Faulks: Data on litigants in person in Magistrates’ Courts is not centrally recorded. There has been no change in the scope or eligibility for legal aid in the magistrates’ courts since means testing was introduced in 2006. Legal aid is available, where necessary, for both magistrates’ and Crown Court cases, subject to defendants being means tested.

The Lord Chairman of Committees

Acts: Publishing

Lord Lexden: To ask the Chairman of Committees what are the implications of the vote in the House of Commons on 20 April in favour of retaining vellum for the printing of record copies of public Acts of Parliament.

Lord Laming: The House Committee considered this matter at its meeting on 3 May. The Committee agreed that, in response to the letter from the Clerk of the House of Commons about the debate, I should write to the Chairman of the House of Commons Administration Committee in the following terms:“I am writing further to the backbench debate on printing record copies of public Acts of Parliament on vellum. I have consulted the House of Lords House Committee in preparing this reply.As you know, this House agreed in 1999 to move to printing Acts of Parliament on archival paper instead of vellum. We are persuaded that printing on archival paper is a more appropriate use of public funds, and that the case for continuing to print on vellum is not made.If, in the light of the debate, the House of Commons wishes to arrange a contract for printing record copies of public Acts on vellum then the House of Lords Administration will gladly share experience of managing the legacy contract to assist you in making any such arrangements. I am sure you will appreciate that this House does not wish to contribute financially to any future printing on vellum. It is also important that we ensure the longevity of any public Acts, as the Clerk of the Parliaments must certify a record copy of them.Perhaps at our next regular meeting it would be possible for us to discuss some of the points made in the debate. I am, as ever, grateful to you for all your help in this matter.”I wrote accordingly on 4 May.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Public Libraries

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many public libraries have closed since 2010; how many are currently under threat of closure; and what action they are taking to ensure that public libraries are maintained as a statutory service and to promote improvement of the public library service.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport monitors closely proposed changes to library service provision throughout England. The Department does not maintain detail on the number of public libraries under review by local authorities, but based on desk research we estimate that from January 2010 to January 2016 approximately 110 static public libraries in England closed completely. Public libraries are funded and run by local authorities and it is a matter for local authorities to determine how best to provide a comprehensive and efficient public library service to their local community, within available resources. My Department, together with the Local Government Association, has set up a Leadership for Libraries Taskforce to help public libraries in England build on good practice and add value for the communities they serve. The Taskforce is currently consulting on the attached document at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/libraries-deliver-ambition-for-public-libraries-in-england-2016-2021 which sets out the ambition for public libraries in the future. Furthermore, thanks to Government funding, free Wi-Fi is available to 99% of public libraries in England.



Libraries Deliver ambition document
(PDF Document, 896.67 KB)

Horse Racing: Betting

Lord Smith of Hindhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government who will select members of the proposed Racing Authority, and what the selection criteria will be for the appointees.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Under the replacement for the current Horserace Betting Levy a racing authority will be responsible for making decisions on spend in line with the overall purposes of the scheme. This body will be referred to in legislation but it will not be a statutory body. It will be for the racing industry to determine its governance arrangements.

Horse Racing: Betting

Lord Smith of Hindhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the current annual arrangements for setting the Horseracing Betting Levy will continue under the proposed new funding arrangements, or will be extended beyond twelve months.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Currently the levy rate is agreed each year by the Horserace Betting Levy Board. Under the new model the level of contribution from betting to racing will be set by Government. We will take into account various findings when considering the rate and its duration, including the independent economic analysis that we commissioned last year. We will hold discussions with both industries before reaching decisions on these issues.

Ministry of Defence

Type 26 Frigates

Lord Campbell of Pittenweem: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their programme for the development of the Type 26 Frigate.

Earl Howe: I refer the noble Lord to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Defence Procurement (Philip Dunne), in the House of Commons on 11 April 2016 to Question 32497.http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2016-03-24/32497/



QnA extract on Type 26 Frigates
(Word Document, 14.34 KB)

Warships: Shipbuilding

Lord Campbell of Pittenweem: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to maintain warship building capability in the UK and what are their preferred locations for doing so.

Earl Howe: The Government has appointed Sir John Parker as the Independent Chair of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, which is intended to place UK shipbuilding on a sustainable long-term footing. Sir John Parker will consider a range of locations around the UK and report by the end of 2016.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many allegations of sexual assault and rape were made (1) by, and (2) against, members of the armed forces in the past year.

Earl Howe: All allegations of sexual assault and rape made by or against members of the Armed Forces are taken very seriously by the Ministry of Defence (MOD).This information is not held in the requested format. Only allegations of sexual assault and rape made by a member of the Armed Forces against another member of the Armed Forces (or Person Subject to Service Law) are investigated by the Service Police. Allegations of such offences made by civilians in the UK are usually investigated by the appropriate civilian police force, while allegations made by civilians overseas will be investigated in accordance with the appropriate agreement in place between the UK and that country. The MOD does not hold information on investigations conducted by civilian police forces.In 2015 the Service Police investigated 20 cases of rape and 49 cases of sexual assault. Of the 20 allegations of rape, 19 cases were against 22 members of the Armed Forces; the status of the suspect in one case is unidentified. Eight of the victims of these alleged offences were members of the Armed Forces.Of the 49 allegations of sexual assault, 46 cases were against 49 members of the Armed Forces; in one case the suspect was a civilian subject to Service Law and the status of the suspects in two cases is unidentified. 49 of the victims of these alleged offences were members of the Armed Forces.

Armed Forces: Mental Illness

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many members of the armed forces left or were discharged in the last year on mental health grounds.

Earl Howe: In the 12 months to 31 March 2015, 359 UK Regular Armed Forces personnel were medically discharged with a principal cause of Mental and Behavioural Disorders.Comprehensive statistical information on medical discharges among UK Regular Armed Forces personnel is published on an annual basis. The latest report, covering medical discharges during the five Financial Years 2010-11 to 2014-15 can be found at the following address:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/medical-discharges-among-uk-service-personnel-statistics-indexInformation covering Financial Year 2015-16 is scheduled for publication on 14 July 2016.



UK Service Personnel Medical Discharges Stats
(PDF Document, 240.93 KB)

Courts Martial

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many court martials have taken place in the last year; and of those how many resulted in (1) convictions, and (2) acquittals.

Earl Howe: The Courts Martials tried a total of 477 individuals during 2015. Of these, 362 resulted in a conviction and 115 resulted in acquittal.

Islamic State

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of recent military attacks by ISIS on the Nineveh Plain Forces (NPF) at Telliskuf; what political and military assistance they are giving to the NPF; and what assessment they have made of the NPF’s objectives.

Earl Howe: Following Daesh's attack north of Mosul on 3 May, they were pushed back by Kurdish forces. The Kurds regained the lost territory with substantial Coalition air support, which included the use of RAF aircraft. UK assistance in Iraq is channelled, as appropriate, through the Government of Iraq or the Kurdish Regional Government rather than to any individual militia forces, and the UK has made no specific assessment of the objectives of the Nineveh Plain Forces.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to protect the identity of RAF unmanned aerial vehicle operators.

Earl Howe: Reaper Force personnel are briefed in line with their specific situation and, as with all RAF personnel, they receive periodic training on personal security. This includes, for example, briefing on social media profiles. Mechanisms exist to ensure that specific threats, and the necessary responses to them, are communicated in a timely fashion.

Home Office

Deportation: Young People

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many unaccompanied children who were asylum seekers were deported from the UK on reaching the age of 18 in each year since 2007.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Our records indicate that the total number of asylum seeking children who were removed from the United Kingdom after reaching the age of 18 from 2007 to 2015 is 6,797. A breakdown of these returns is provided in the table below.Removal of former unaccompanied asylum seeking children will only take place after their asylum claim has been finally determined, including any appeal hearing, and it has been established that there is no risk of persecution, or of a breach of the European Convention on Human Rights, upon return to their Home Country.After a former unaccompanied asylum seeking child is over eighteen years of age, and found not to be at risk upon return to their home country, their removal will be managed in line with our usual arrangements for the safe and secure return of failed asylum seekers who do not leave the UK voluntarily.  Asylum Seeking Children Returned after Turning 18 - HL7605Year of ReturnTotal Number of Individuals Removed 20071,338 20081,132 2009900 2010760 2011807 2012559 2013566 2014402 2015333 Total 6,797 Table Notes:  1. This is provisional management information that is subject to change. It has not been assured to the standard of Official Statistics. 2.This data is based on the returns of individuals who have made asylum applications as main applicants who were minors at the date of application. The applicants were not necessarily unaccompanied. 3. The figures include voluntary and enforced removals from January 2007. 4. The table shows only the first removal of any individual since January 2007. The figures for 2010 and 2014 therefore differ from those in the answer to HL2297 which showed the first removal in the two years 2010 and 2014 only.

Asylum: Yazidis

Baroness Berridge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Yazidis have been given asylum in the UK under (1) the Syrian Vulnerable Person Resettlement Scheme, (2) the Gateway Protection Programme, and (3) the Mandate Refugee Scheme, in the last six months.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We continue to work closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to identify appropriate cases that they deem in need of resettlement for the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme, the Gateway Protection Programme and the Mandate Refugee Scheme.Statistics on arrivals under each of these schemes are published in the regular quarterly Immigration Statistics in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.The next set of statistics will be in the quarterly release on 26 May 2016 and will cover the period January – March 2016. We do not publish a breakdown of these statistics by religion or ethnicity.

HM Treasury

Retail Trade

Baroness Burt of Solihull: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of economic output was attributed to the retail sector in each of the last 10 years, and what estimate they have made of that sector’s contribution over the next 10 years.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The table below sets out the percentage of nominal output attributed to retail trade (except of motor vehicles and motorcycles) in each of the last 10 years: YearRetail trade as share of nominal output20065.6%20075.6%20085.6%20095.6%20105.7%20115.6%20125.7%20135.6%20145.6%20155.6%  The Office for Budget Responsibility was created in 2010 to provide independent and authoritative analysis of the UK’s public finances, and economic forecasts. The Office for Budget Responsibility do not forecast growth on a sub- sectoral level.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Anaerobic Digestion

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of how the carbon emissions of waste-fed anaerobic digestion plants compare to those of plants fed by energy crops.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: The carbon emissions from anaerobic digestion (AD) plants have been assessed by adding together; the greenhouse gas emissions from the AD plant including an estimate of their methane leakage rate, the reduction in UK greenhouse gas emissions from the use of biomethane to substitute for natural gas in the gas grid, and where this is relevant, the emissions avoided by no longer needing to dispose of the feedstock. The estimates below are for typical plants and will depend on particular circumstances. For food waste this net change in greenhouse gas emissions was assessed as a saving of 850 g of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilowatt hour of energy in the biomethane produced (g CO2eq /kWh). This arises principally from the reduction in emissions from the landfilling of food waste. Animal waste based AD plant save emissions of 704 g CO2eq /kWh as a result of the reduction in storage emissions of slurries and manures. The use of annual energy crops for AD was assessed as saving 102 g CO2eq /kWh. The assumptions behind this assessment are detailed in the Impact Assessment that accompanied the recent consultation ‘The Renewable Heat Incentive: A reformed and refocused scheme’ and did not taken account of any additional carbon emissions impacts relating to indirect land use change, which may arise from changes in agricultural land caused by the expansion of croplands for feedstock production. This evidence was drawn from the modelling that supported the Impact Assessment for the recent Renewable Heat Incentive consultation that closed on 27th April. Food waste is estimated to be considerably more cost-effective than agricultural feedstocks because of the ‘upstream’ emissions abatement that is assumed to occur as a result of diverting food waste from landfill to an anaerobic digester. This is despite the controls that are in place at landfill sites to collect and combust landfill gas. Agricultural wastes are also assumed to produce upstream emission abatement owing largely to avoided emissions from the storage of slurries and manures, although these are less significant than the upstream abatement from food waste. In contrast energy crops do not offer these GHG emission reduction advantages.

Department of Health

General Practitioners: Brighton

Lord Bassam of Brighton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (1) GPs, and (2) GP practices, there were in Brighton and Hove in each year since 2010.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The information is shown in the following table.  Total general practitioners (GPs) and GP Practices in Brighton and Hove City Primary Care Trust (PCT) and NHS Brighton and Hove Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG):  201020112012201320142015Brighton and Hove City PCT  Total GP Practices484847   Total GPs excluding locums177184182   Total GPs excluding retainers, registrars and locums161169170   NHS Brighton and Hove CCG  Total GP Practices   464544Total GPs excluding locums   177180191Total GPs excluding retainers, registrars and locums   172176185 Source: The Health and Social Care Information CentreNotes: - Data as at 30 September each year.- NHS Workforce figures are not available by constituency. Brighton and Hove constituency was contained within and serviced by Brighton and Hove City PCT from 2009-2012 and NHS Brighton and Hove CCG from 2013 onwards. These trusts are not geographically co-terminus and thus the figures are not comparable over a time series.- Prior to 2015 figures are sourced from NHAIS GP Payments (Exeter) System. From 2015 figures are sourced from the workforce Minimum Dataset (wMDS) and include estimates for missing data.- GP Locums were collected for the first time in 2015. These have been omitted here for comparability purposes- Brighton and Hove was serviced by Brighton and Hove PCT 2010-2012 and NHS Brighton and Hove CCG 2013-2015- The Health and Social Care Information Centre no longer provides individual data for ‘GP Provider, GP Other, GP Registrar and GP Retainer’ from April 2015 onwards as the 2015 GP figures are not published with these four job roles any more.

Junior Doctors: Conditions of Employment

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government under which legislative provision the Secretary of State has the power to impose junior doctors’ contracts on (1) GP practices that are not public bodies and deliver services to patients under a General Medical Services contract; (2) GP practices that are not public bodies and deliver services to patients under an Alternative Personal Medical Services contract; (3) local authorities that employ junior doctors to deliver public health services; and (4) NHS Trusts otherwise than by way of directions.

Lord Prior of Brampton: In deciding that a new contract – which would be safer for patients and fair and reasonable for junior doctors – should be introduced without further negotiation with the British Medical Association, the Secretary of State was exercising his powers under the NHS Act 2006 (in particular sections 1, 1A, 1B, 1F, 1G and 2). To introduce the contract he is working with the National Health Service and other employers who, as they are employers of junior doctors, are using their employment powers. The Secretary of State has not announced, and does not state, that he has a power to direct all NHS bodies or non-NHS bodies providing healthcare services.

NHS: Cost Effectiveness

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what evaluation has been undertaken to ensure that the £200 million National Transformation Fund for 2015–16 provided value for money.

Lord Prior of Brampton: For the new care models programme, vanguards were selected based on a transparent and rigorous process, which considered the full range of value that they could deliver for their patients and for the wider National Health Service. New care model vanguards were required to submit ‘value propositions’ making the case for investment from the transformation fund. Money was only released once these were assessed, and approved. National support was designed based on what the vanguards said they needed to support them to deliver, and included work with them to develop a robust monitoring and evaluation framework. The national support helped ensure that vanguards are well positioned for success, and checks that money has been spent as planned, quarterly in arrears. An independent, multi-year evaluation will examine the longer-term impact of the new care models programme and its cost effectiveness. Other transformation programmes (for example, the Diabetes Prevention Scheme or the Healthy New Towns programme), not directly connected with the new care models programme, each have their own evaluation work-streams based on similar principles to those being used in the new care models programme. The results from these evaluations are not yet available as the implementation of these programmes has just begun.

Care Homes

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what provision they plan to make to meet the shortfall of residential care home places for elderly people in the light of home closures and increased demand for social care.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Adult social care is largely delivered by a market of independent providers. As in any market, there is inevitable change which will give rise to local fluctuations in capacity. We are not aware of any systemic shortfall of residential care home places. Under the Care Act (2014), local authorities have duties to shape their local market to ensure there is adequate provision of good quality, appropriate services to meet the changing needs of their local population, including for people who do not get state-funding.

Mental Health Services: Children

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many children and teenagers in the UK were referred to NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in each of the last five years; how many children and teenagers in each of those years received treatment; and how many did not.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Health is a devolved service and this answer relates only to England. The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) advises that it does not currently hold data to answer the questions asked. However, it has been capturing child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) data since January 2016 within the new Mental Health Services Data Set. On 20 April 2016 it published the first month (January 2016) of data from this new data source on a select number of measures it developed and quality assured to a certain level with the help of stakeholders, although these data remain experimental and could be subject to change. As at 31 January 2016, there were 104,480 people in contact with CAMHS. HSCIC is currently unable to identify those who are already receiving treatment and those who are awaiting assessment.

Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 17 March 2015 (HL5319) and by Lord Prior of Brampton on 25 April (HL7391), how the incidence of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) has been substantially reduced as a result of changes introduced by the HFEA since the publication of the McCracken Report in accordance with recommendations 10 and 11 and in the light of paragraphs 4.40 and 4.44; and what assessment they have made of the extent to which the lack of reporting by the HFEA of any adverse incidents to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has mitigated the risks of OHSS.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that Ovarian HyperStimulation Syndrome (OHSS) is primarily a matter for clinical judgement and professional standards. The responsibility for reporting adverse reactions in accordance with the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 rests with clinics and the treating clinician. The number of serious adverse incidents of OHSS reported to the HFEA in each of the three years 2010-2012 was approximately 60. In 2013 it was 46, and in 2014 it was 42. Figures for 2015 will be published in September 2016. Where the HFEA is made aware of information relevant to the regulatory functions of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the information is shared between the two organisations. Recommendations 10 and 11 of the McCracken Report relate to a variety of issues not just OHSS. The HFEA has advised that its strategy for 2014–2017 fulfils these recommendations.

Gonorrhoea: Disease Control

Baroness Gould of Potternewton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to prevent the spread of gonorrhoea in England.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Public Health England (PHE) undertakes a number of actions to limit the spread of gonorrhoea and other sexually transmitted infections in populations most at risk of infection in England, which are outlined in PHE’s Strategic Action Plan for Health promotion for sexual and reproductive health and HIV. These activities are focused on (i) developing and providing high quality surveillance data to monitor rates of gonorrhoea and related antimicrobial resistance, (ii) producing national guidance and a service specification template to optimise infection detection, (iii) maintaining effective treatment by advising on national treatment guidelines, promoting good prescribing practice and updating national guidance on the management of gonorrhoea in primary care, (iv) leading the public health response to local and national outbreaks to control wider dissemination in the population (v) supporting high quality case and partner management by providing expert advice, (vi) improving prevention by raising awareness in professionals and affected communities through local and national campaigns, and (vii) co-leading research to improve the evidence base. A copy of the Strategic Action Plan is attached.



Health promotion for sexual reproductive health
(PDF Document, 694.37 KB)

Disability

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many clinicians will serve on the proposed Clinical Reference Group (CRG) for Rehabilitation and Disability; and how that number compares with the current CRGs that cover the same areas.

Lord Prior of Brampton: To ensure that Clinical Reference Group (CRG) work dovetails with the revised operating model for specialised commissioning, NHS England proposes to simplify the operation of CRGs. It is recommended that the new CRG for Rehabilitation and Disability replaces the existing Specialist rehabilitation for patients with highly complex needs (Complex Rehabilitation) and Complex Disability Equipment Clinical Commissioning Groups. It is proposed that the new CRG should have the following membership: - a minimum of one member with prosthetics expertise;- a minimum of one member with expertise in augmentative and alternative communication aids;- a minimum of one member with expertise in environmental controls; and- and four members with Complex Rehabilitation expertise (1 from each region). The new CRG has eight clinical members plus a chair. In the existing two CRG configuration, there are 12 clinical members plus two chairs (one for each CRG). In addition there are also four affiliated organisation members, who tend to be clinicians, in both the current CRGs and the new configuration.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made, in the light of the costs and risks borne by the NHS with regard to multiple births resulting from multiple embryo transfer in private fertility treatment, of whether savings could be made by funding single embryo transfers on the NHS.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Government has not made an assessment of the potential savings to the National Health Service from the use of single embryo transfer in fertility treatments such as in vitro fertilisation (IVF). Multiple births present significant health risks to mothers and babies. Over recent years, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has worked to drive down multiple birth rates whilst maintaining consistent treatment success rates. To minimise the risk of multiple pregnancies, there has been a growing trend for IVF providers to only transfer one embryo, even when more are available, in patients who have a good chance of successful treatment. Elective single embryo transfer is the most effective way of reducing multiple pregnancies. The HFEA has advised that most clinics have shown significant progress in reducing multiple births without compromising pregnancy rates. In 2008 nearly one in four IVF births resulted in a multiple birth but now, with a concerted multiple births reduction policy, this number is one in six. Although progress has been made, this number is still higher than the rate in conceptions that do not involve assisted reproduction treatment. The overall goal is to reduce multiple births to one in 10.

NHS: Sustainable Development

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the governance arrangements put in place to oversee the development of Sustainability and Transformation Plans will ensure appropriate accountability to Parliament for decisions made.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The development of Sustainability and Transformation Plans does not alter the existing statutory responsibilities of clinical commissioning groups, local authorities and NHS arms length bodies. Sustainability and Transformation Plans are designed to enable local health and care leaders to work together more collaboratively to help each other meet their statutory responsibilities more effectively and efficiently. They do not alter existing arrangements for accountability.

NHS: Sustainable Development

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what form of delegation from Clinical Commissioning Groups is being made to ensure appropriate governance in relation to Sustainability and Transformation Plans.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) remain accountable for securing high-quality healthcare services for their local populations. In some areas, CCGs have established or are planning to establish collaborative commissioning arrangements across a number of CCGs and/or with local authorities, where they consider that this will help them improve quality and outcomes for their local population.

NHS: Sustainable Development

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what formal public consultation will need to take place before Sustainability and Transformation Plans are submitted to NHS England by 30 June.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what formal public consultation will need to take place when Sustainability and Transformation Plans are given approval by NHS England.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Where Sustainability and Transformation plans envisage changes to the way that NHS services are commissioned or delivered, it will be the responsibility of the relevant clinical commissioning groups to involve patients and the public in considering and making decisions on those proposals, in line with their duties under the National Health Service Act 2006.

NHS: Sustainable Development

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what role local authorities will play in the development of Sustainability and Transformation Plans other than through membership of Health and Wellbeing Boards.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The NHS Planning Guidance, published in December 2015, explained that the success of Sustainability and Transformation Plans will depend on having an open, engaging, and iterative process that harnesses the energies of clinicians, patients, carers, citizens, local authorities, health and wellbeing boards, and local community partners. Local authorities should be fully engaged in the development of all Sustainability and Transformation Plans. In some cases, local National Health Service organisations have agreed with local authorities that a senior council leader will lead the Sustainability and Transformation Plan for their area.